many definitions of content analysis exist.walizer and wienir define it as any systematic procedure devised to examine the content of recorded information, krippendorf 1980 defines it as a research technique for making replicable and valid references from data to their context . kerlingers 1986 definition is fairly typical:contant analysis is a method of studying and analyzing communication in a systematic,objective,and quantitative manner for the purpose of measuring variables.
content analysis is systematic .this means that the content to be analyzed is selected according to explicit and consistently applied rules:sample selection must follow proper procedures , and each item must have an equal chance of being included in the analysis.the evaluation process, also, must be systematic:all content under consideration is to be treated in exactly the same manner .there must be uniformity in the coding and analysis procedures and in the length of time coders are exposed to the material. systematic evaluation simply means that one and only one set ofguidelines for evaluation is used throughout the study.alternating procedures in an analysis is a sure way to confound the results .